Dinesh Kamath's article on Hollywood movie 'Hit and Run' that was published in Newsband

Hit and Run is a 2012 American romantic action comedy film written by Dax Shepard, with David Palmer and Shepard co-directing again (their first film being Brother's Justice in 2010). The film stars Shepard, Kristen Bell, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Arnold, and Bradley Cooper.

The movie has an interesting plot. A former getaway driver busts out his Witness Protection Program identity in order to help his girlfriend get to Los Angeles. His former gang, his girlfriend's ex-lover, and a closeted United States Marshal chase after them.

Let me be clearer. The story follows Annie and Charlie (Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard) as they leave their small town on a road trip to Los Angeles. Awaiting Annie is a potential job offer; awaiting Charlie are the criminal associates he left behind after ratting on them and entering the witness protection program. The couple ditch the U.S. Marshall assigned to protect Charlie (a hapless Tom Arnold) and hit the road in a badass Lincoln Continental. Annie’s jealous ex-boyfriend follows in hot pursuit, but not before notifying Charlie’s former partner in crime, Alex (Bradley Cooper). What follows ends up being something between a romantic comedy and an action flick.

The film has Dax Shepard as Charlie Bronson/Yul Perkins, Kristen Bell as Annie, Kristin Chenoweth as Debbie Kreeger, Tom Arnold as Randy, Bradley Cooper as Alex Dimitri, Beau Bridges as Clint Perkins, Michael Rosenbaum as Gil, David Koechner, Joy Bryant as Neve, Ryan Hansen as Allen, Sean Hayes as Sandy Osterman, Jason Bateman and Matt Mosher as Student #1.

Hit and Run has received mixed reviews from critics. Film Critic Roger Ebert gave it 3.5 of 4 stars, "With its off-the-shelf title, I had worked up less than a white-hot enthusiasm to see Hit & Run, but it's a lot more fun than the title suggests. How many chase comedies have you seen where the hero's sexy girlfriend has a doctorate in nonviolent conflict resolution? Her counseling would have been invaluable to the U.S. marshal (Tom Arnold) in an early scene where he attempts to shoot his own SUV".

Shepard plays a person who is good-hearted and occasionally brutal. Tom Arnold gets more laughs than Braadley Cooper. Hit & Run keeps springing funny little surprises along the way.

Thus Dax Shepard co-directs, writes, edits, and stars in Hit and Run. It is a taut, clever little action comedy. In short, the movie is about a former getaway driver who dodges former criminal associates in a 1960’s muscle car as he tries to get his girlfriend to a life-changing job interview.

Shepard displays a knack for writing. The scenes between Shepard and Bell come to life with clever, natural, free-flowing dialogue. Many of the verbal exchanges in Hit and Run show flashes of brilliance and are delivered by the actors in a manner that feels genuine and spontaneous. Several of the scenes are very well written.

Most of the movie’s action sequences conveniently take place on deserted dirt roads, in empty fields, and in vacant parking lots, and contain all the thrill of watching a crash-free race.

That said, Shepard and co-star Kristen Bell do have some natural chemistry. Hit & Run is really a string of hit-and-miss moments that follow Shepard as he plays a getaway driver who leaves witness protection to take his girlfriend to Los Angeles.

The movie depicts a mad, mad, mad, mad world of chase scenes. Hit and Run is actually pretty good. The chemistry between Shepard and Bell is a big part of why the movie works. Despite Shepard and Bell doing a good job here it's Tom Arnold and Bradley Cooper who end up stealing the show. This is definitely an interesting role for Cooper. His character is crazy and bizarre, and you’ll enjoy his performance. A few cameo appearances from the likes of David Koechner, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes also add a few laughs to proceedings.

So do watch the film Hit and Run when it gets released on 31 August 2012.